hope you enjoy the photo here.
I find it especially poignant as it
shows a group of children from
Lima, Peru, together with Elena from
Tearfund’s partner Agape. It was a
particular highlight for me to visit and
see their work for myself last year.
And the photo is also a big thank
you to you for your support – the
Christmas paper chains the children
are holding contain messages and
prayers from Tearfund supporters.
For the children out there who have
so little, it’s a reminder that they are
Elena, from Tearfund partner Agape, and children
so loved. Because, through your
from Peru at Christmas.
support, you are demonstrating that
Jesus loves them, and so does his church – his people.
Looking back is a theme of this issue as we present our regular review of the year,
starting on page 12. Here you can see how your prayers, giving and campaigning are
transforming people materially and spiritually.
But we’re also looking forward. It’s nearing harvest time, and this year we want
to introduce you to Richard’s inspirational story – see page 8.
Looking forward, we also have our Christmas
resources, which are designed to light up your
church service this December, you can order them
now for free – see page 24.

s
e
m
i
t
r
a
e
t
20
Autumn

Peter Shaw, Editor
editor@tearfund.org

11

nt life
Abundaarich
Reaping rough
th
harvest ch
the chur

at
Healed
as
Christm

Tearfund
We are Christians passionate about the local church bringing justice and
transforming lives – overcoming global poverty. And so our ten-year vision
is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty
through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.
We can support you if you want to encourage your church and others
to get involved with Tearfund. And if you have any questions, we’d be
delighted to talk to you.

How do you change a human heart? – Reflection
from Tearfund chief executive, Matthew Frost

teartimes autumn 2011

‘I am deeply
impressed with
Tearfund.'
Tamsin Greig

28

3

TT131_NEWS_3_Layout 1 22/08/2011 17:39 Page 2

NEWS
REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Courtesy Trust.org - Alertnet

Somali refugees who recently arrived at the Dagahaley camp in Dadaab, Kenya, assemble a makeshift shelter.

Tearfund responds to East Africa crisis

T

earfund partners across drought-hit
East Africa are providing life-saving aid
to thousands of people who are on the
brink of starvation.
More than 11 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya
and Somalia are suffering as a result of drought,
failed harvests and high staple food prices.
The UN has declared a famine in two areas of
Somalia, a country dogged by insecurity where
half the population – seven million people –
are in dire need of food.
The drought has left many pastoralists,
who rely on livestock for a living, with dead
animals, while subsistence farmers have
suffered extensive crop losses where rainfall
patterns have changed or where rains have
failed completely.
Since the summer, Tearfund has been helping
partners provide emergency aid, thanks to your
generous support for our East Africa appeal.
Water, food, mosquito nets, medical supplies,
plastic sheets for shelters, and basic household
items such as cooking pots, soap and water
containers are being supplied.
Our partner World Concern is operating
on the Kenya-Somalia border and in Somalia’s
Somaliland, distributing this emergency
aid to Somalis and Kenyans.
In northern Kenya, Christian Community
Services of Mount Kenya East has been
supplying water and animal fodder, while fellow
partner, the Christian Reformed World Relief
Committee, is improving access to water, for
example by sending tankers and repairing
existing boreholes.

4

In Ethiopia, church-based partners are
stepping up projects that act as a safety net
for vulnerable people, for example by providing
cash-for-work.
Although the worst of the drought conditions
are in Ethiopia’s south-east, other southern
regions have experienced erratic rainfall
resulting in bad harvests for some staple crops.
Improving the resilience of poor communities
to withstand droughts and disasters has been
a key part of Tearfund’s work over many years
in the region.
Partners working with local churches are
engaged in long-term projects to do this.
For example, they are introducing droughtresistant seed varieties, building small-scale
reservoirs to capture rain when it does fall
and helping communities form self-help
groups so that financial resources can be
pooled to provide funds for small businesses.
Tearfund has also been lobbying G20 leaders
to tackle high global food prices by protecting
the most vulnerable through investment in
small-scale agriculture.
Please continue to pray for those going
hungry in East Africa; for rains to break the
drought; for greater international action and
for our partners’ response.

Sudan Appeal
We'd also like to thank you for the amazing
response to our Sudan appeal – look out for
a full update in the next Tear Times.
autumn 2011 teartimes

Helping families get back
on track in Pakistan

G

enerous support for Tearfund’s
Pakistan floods appeal is enabling
us to help many thousands of people
get their lives back on track.
Last summer, monsoon rains led to the worst
flooding in Pakistani living memory, killing
1,700 people and affecting 18 million others.
The scale of supporter response to our
appeal meant that, as well as providing initial
emergency aid, we were able to launch a
three-year programme of recovery work.
Ashraf Mall, Tearfund’s Country
Representative for Pakistan, said, ‘We’d like
to thank all those who supported our appeal.
It’s enabling us to do valuable long-term work..

‘We’d like to thank all those who
supported our appeal. It’s enabling
us to do valuable long-term work.’

Through our operational team and four
partners, Tearfund has been able to give a mix
of practical assistance such as providing new
homes, improved access to clean water and
help to grow food.’
Among other achievements are: treating
19,000 patients through 86 medical camps
in 18 villages, providing 8,000 families with
mosquito nets and supplying 2,000 families
with seeds for rice and sunflower crops.
Tearfund is also boosting health and hygiene
awareness and training people so they are
better prepared for disasters and are able to
cope when they happen.
Read more about our work in Pakistan on
page 15.

Go for gold to tackle poverty
With the 2012 Olympics looming, how
about taking the Gold Challenge and helping
us tackle poverty? The idea is you can try
your hand at Olympic and Paralympic sports
while raising money for good causes.
Organised in partnership with the
British Olympics Association, you can
test yourself in five, ten, 20 or 30 sports.
You need to undertake a minimum of
three hours’ coaching in your chosen
sports or complete an endurance event
such as a marathon or triathlon.
The beauty of it is that you can do it
individually or as a team and in any part
of the country, through local sports clubs
or leisure centres, anytime before the end
of 2012.
By signing up to support Tearfund through
your sporting efforts, you’ll also be helping
us to combat material and spiritual poverty
among the world’s poorest communities.
For more information, go to
www.goldchallenge.org or if you have any
further questions about taking part for
Tearfund, email us at enquiry@tearfund.org
5

news
Christian Council of Tanzania

Songs drown out HIV stigma

A

wareness about HIV has been raised
by a Tearfund partner in Tanzania
organising an X Factor-style
competition on national TV.
More than 30 choirs took part in a televised
nationwide singing contest which regularly
attracted a million viewers over its eightweek run of shows.
Each week viewers voted for their favourite
choir who performed songs addressing the
issue of stigma and support for people living
with HIV.

The Christian Council of Tanzania organised
the pilot event where five choirs made it to the
final, broadcast live on national television, with
the winner being selected by a mix of public
and audience votes.
Donald Mavunduse, Tearfund’s Head of the
Southern Africa region, said, ‘The competition
was a resounding success and showed creative
thinking by our partner, the Christian Council of
Tanzania. Work is already starting on repeating
this success next year and expanding the
competition, possibly to other countries.’
Cally Spittle/Tearfund

News in brief
NEPAL:
Illiteracy among women, particularly
those from lower castes, is being tackled by
Tearfund partner Sagoal through after-work
classes. Pupil Anarkali Chaudhary said,
‘Before coming to class, I used to think
of myself as a blind person, but now
I can read and write. I’m very glad that
I can read the Bible.’
LATIN AMERICA:
Social networking is being used by
Tearfund partners and consultants in
Latin America and the Caribbean to
spread information and learning about

6

development. The online community has
more than 100 members, exchanging news
and prayer requests and promoting events
through messages, photos and video.

autumn 2011 teartimes

Premier partnership with Tearfund

T

The help provided by local
churches and partners in northeast Myanmar affected by
March’s earthquakes.
Hundreds of supporters lobbying
their MPs in Westminster on
behalf of those in poverty, during
June’s Tea Time for Change.
Support that enabled Tearfund
partners in Pakistan to help
thousands rebuild their lives after
devastating flooding a year ago.

PRAYER PULSE

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

Prayer is the heartbeat of Tearfund

GIVING THANKS FOR

earfund is taking to the airwaves as
Premier Christian Radio’s charity of the
year. The partnership means that Tearfund’s
global work to lift people out of material and
spiritual poverty will be promoted to thousands
more people over the next year.
In particular, the station will be telling
its listeners about the church mobilisation
projects highlighted in the last Tear Times
in Africa, Latin America and Asia and
encouraging them to get involved.
Matthew Frost, Tearfund’s Chief Executive,
said, ‘Being Premier’s charity of the year gives
us an exciting opportunity to talk about the
transforming power of local churches.
‘We hope and pray that many listeners will
want to see for themselves what God is doing
around the world, through the local church, and
that they will journey with one of the
communities where Tearfund partners are
bringing about real and sustainable change.’
You can listen to Premier nationally on
Sky Digital 0123, Freeview 725 and DAB
and in London on Medium Wave 1305,
1332 and 1413. For more on our work,
visit www.see-for-yourself.org

Healing of divisions in Ivory
Coast caused by last year’s
disputed presidential elections.

PRAYING FOR

More people to share our
passion for working with local
churches to combat material
and spiritual poverty by
regularly giving £20.
Peaceful elections in the
Democratic Republic of Congo
that produce a clear result and
improve people’s lives.

You can follow the progress of Olga,
from Cajamarca, Peru.
teartimes autumn 2011

Latest prayer news at
www.tearfund.org/praying
7

harvest

When poverty
gets personal
Povertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very personal thing, Richard told me. He knows.
Many times heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had to warm his rain-soaked children when
the straw roof of their home has blown off.
Words: Steve Adams Photos: Kieran Dodds/Tearfund

8

autumn 2011 teartimes

Thanks to inspiration from
his church and through
the Bible, Richard now
provides for his family by
selling the fish he catches.

P

overty is so personal it changes the way
people see themselves, affecting their
identity and self-belief. So, any real
solutions have to be even more personal and
persistent than poverty. Solutions that go
further than a sack of grain. They must hit
the heart.
This is why your part in what our churchbased partners around the world are doing is
so important. Thank you for making poverty
personal to you.
Local churches across Africa, Asia and Latin
America are thriving in the places poverty is
most deeply rooted. They are able to rebuild
the walls – brick and mortar, as well as hearts
and minds – which poverty has pulled down.
teartimes autumn 2011

Rooted in the soul
Give a man a fish, the saying goes, and feed
him for a day. Give him a fishing rod and teach
him to fish, and you’ll feed him for all his days.
Until the rod snaps. And it will break – because
poverty is a very persistent breaker of hope.
Which is why we believe that Jesus’
assurance that he will build his church
(Matthew 16:18) offers clear guidance on
how we can most effectively help poor
communities.
Instead of a lesson on how to fish, and a rod,
local churches across the world are going much
deeper – unlocking the potential of every
individual and community. Releasing hope.
Equipping them, through professional
9

harvest
training and expert advice, with the
understanding and the tools to find their
own way out of poverty. So they can make
a fishing rod, not just use it. It begins in the
heart and takes root in the soul.
It’s called Church and Community
Mobilisation. It’s an approach to community
development in poor communities which
Tearfund has seen bring real change to some
of the poorest places we work in, as the local
church ‘awakens’ itself and its community to
find their own way out of poverty.

‘Local churches across Africa,
Asia and Latin America are thriving
in the places poverty
is most deeply rooted.’
It transforms the community
In November last year I visited Ugandan
father-of-four, Richard, in Ogongora village.
Tearfund partner the Pentecostal Assemblies
of God (PAG) have a vision to mobilise all
5,000 of their churches – and Ogongora
Church is one of them.
Richard’s experience has been life-changing:
he explained how the Tearfund-supported

church mobilisation in his village helped him
and his wife identify the resources they have
and make plans.
‘Our first plan’, he told me, ‘is to increase
our crop harvest so we can sell more crops
and buy a bull. This will help us to grow
more crops.’ So Richard opened up more
land for crops.
Richard has come a long way. In 2008 he
was a very different man. ‘I used to drink,’
he explains. ‘I didn’t have a good relationship
with my wife. Sometimes when I was drunk
I would come home and beat her.’
Poverty’s effect on Richard was very
personal and very deeply rooted. What
changed him was the power of God through
his local church.
‘When I went to the church mobilisation
meeting, they were talking about a
cornerstone,’ he explains, ‘saying that a
cornerstone is what keeps the house straight.
That is what touched my life. I thought,
“What do I need in my life to keep it
straight?” I decided the next Sunday to go to
church. And I received prayer and accepted
Jesus to make my life straight.’ Now he
cherishes his wife and their children are
better fed.

Inspired by his church Richard has purchased a bull, so he can plough more land and sell more crops.
10

autumn 2011 teartimes

TT131_HARVEST_Layout 1 22/08/2011 17:41 Page 5

How can I make poverty personal?
Be part of this life-saving work. Sign up using
the tear-out card between pages 8 and 9.
And join the journey by investing £20 a month.
You can also watch the films at
www.tearfund.org/iamchurch
And let your church join the journey too.
Order a free copy of the We are church pack,
telling Richard’s story through film, drama,
service ideas and children’s materials.
Sign up – and order your free copy of the pack
now at www.tearfund.org/jointhejourney

'I thought, What do I need in my
life to keep it straight? I decided
the next Sunday to go to church.'
Richard from Ogongora
You get what you pray for
This transformation is the result of Tearfund’s
church mobilisation work. Richard’s change of
heart prompted a major change in his family.
He and his wife began attending the regular
training sessions, helping them to develop
their own plan, encouraging them to follow
the seasonal calendar – enabling them to
transform their lives practically.
We’re inviting you to invest in this – to play
your part in the global church. To let poverty
become more personal to you with a gift of
£20 each month – which will pay for
professional training and advice. You’ll receive
a welcome pack, monthly email updates and
a film from the community every quarter.
And, we hope, a new spark in your own
spiritual life as you shine your light where it’s
most needed.
Richard’s June update told how his plan had
come to pass and he had purchased a bull.
Now he can plough more land, sell more
crops and pay for his children’s school
uniform and books – so they can go to
school. Ultimately, he plans to use the extra
revenue to pay for a corrugated tin roof for
the family home.
You choose from a community in Africa, Asia
or Latin America, follow the life of individuals
teartimes autumn 2011

and pray with them – and experience the
blessing in your own life as poverty becomes
more personal.
And your church can join this journey
through Tearfund’s We are church harvest
resources, which contains films telling
Richard’s story, children’s materials and
service ideas.

‘We’re inviting you to invest in this
– to let poverty become more
personal to you.’
Connect your church
As well as being personally connected,
your entire congregation can join with
Tearfund’s partners such as Pentecostal
Assemblies of God (PAG).
Connected Church is a transformational
experience for churches here in the UK to
link with church projects in developing
countries and learn what it means to be
part of the global church. First, you choose
from 15 projects across Asia, Africa and
Latin America. Then, your church makes a
commitment to support that project
financially and through prayer. Tearfund
will provide your church with quarterly
updates; you can also send prayer requests
from your own church.
Visit www.tearfund.org/connected
or call 0845 521 0021 to find out more.
11

Warren Allott/Tearfund

annual review

Weathering
the storm
Whatever your experience last year,
it’s been a stormy time for the world.
But, as Christians, we were never
promised plain sailing...
Words: Isobel Peaty

Natural disasters, climate
change, conflict, corruption
and the global food crisis
are symptoms of a world
in turmoil.

O

ne day Jesus said to his disciples,
“Let us go over to the other side
of the lake.” So they got into a boat
and set out.’ (Luke 8:22) As he made this
suggestion, Jesus knew that the disciples were
heading for the ride of their lives.
And our lives with Christ are no different.
We’re all called to go on a journey, and so is
Tearfund. Last year (financial year April 2010
to March 2011) we made further progress in
our mission to bring the presence and hope of
the kingdom of God to poor communities.
But, like the disciples, we met with many
challenges along the way…
‘As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came
down on the lake, so that the boat was being
swamped, and they were in great danger. The
disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master,
Master, we’re going to drown!”’ (Luke 8:23-24)
‘

Tough conditions
Natural disasters, climate change, conflict,
corruption and the global food crisis are
symptoms of a world in turmoil. In the midst
12

autumn 2011 teartimes

Man pulls a cart through a
flooded street in Leogane,
Haiti, after Hurricane Tomas
hit the west of the island.

of this, your continued support has been a
powerful testimony of faith under fire.
Last year, through grants, voluntary
donations and other income, we received a
total of £63.9m – just two per cent down on
our highest ever income in 2009-10. And we
want to thank you, because we know that for
many of you, your giving is sacrificial,
significant, inspired by a God-given faith,
servanthood and compassion.
But good finances aren’t all that fuels us. We
also thrive on your action and prayers.
Thousands of you joined us to petition
heaven as part of our Global Poverty Prayer
Movement.
Meanwhile, thanks to your support, the
global water and sanitation crisis was pushed
much higher on the Department for
International Development’s agenda.
Alongside this, Downing Street received more
actions from Tearfund’s campaign to highlight
lack of progress on the Millennium
Development Goals than from any other
development NGO last year.
teartimes autumn 2011

Charting the course
We also kept our commitment to you on
course. We believe the path we’ve chosen –
Tearfund’s ten-year vision – is the right one.
And, over the last year, it’s been tried, honed
and proven again and again.
We put £56.1m to work last year. As you
see in the examples from Haiti and Pakistan
on pages 14 and 15, we spent £25.9m on lifesaving disaster preparation and response.
£2.6m was crucially committed to advocacy
work, including pushing for anti-corruption
legislation that helps release resources of the
most vulnerable in the countries where we
work. Meanwhile, £23.7m was used to
support projects central to Tearfund’s vision –
transforming communities through the
local church.
We offered you a new way to witness firsthand the lasting, life-bringing blessing that
an active church can be to its neighbours:
promoting enterprise, sharing assets, tackling
the impact of HIV, creating communities that
support and care for themselves (learn more
at www.see-for-yourself.org).
With all these vital calls on our resources,
we’ve kept a tight ship – fundraising and
governance costs remain a little below nine
per cent, which compares favourably with
similar charities. And that nine per cent still
works hard, investing in staff, fundraising
and promoting Tearfund’s message to
more people.

‘He commands even the winds
and the water, and they obey him.’
(Luke 8:25)
Thank you
We couldn’t have done any of this without
your unswerving support, and we know that
for many of you it hasn’t been easy. But we’re
not alone. And none of us needs to fear the
storm: ‘He got up and rebuked the wind and
the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all
was calm… In fear and amazement they asked
one another, “Who is this? He commands
even the winds and the water, and they obey
him.”’ (Luke 8:24-25)
13

TT131_REVIEW_4_Layout 1 22/08/2011 17:58 Page 4

annual review

Shelter from the storm
Two huge disasters loomed large last year: the Haiti earthquake and the floods in
Pakistan. Here are just two examples of how your dedicated support rescued and
restored people despite the disasters…

Hope in Haiti

2010-2011
IN FIGURES

Children receive education in a school built by
Tearfund at Petit Boucan, Haiti.

CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE

£56.0m 91%

Transforming communities

£23.7m 35%

Disaster response & preparation £25.9m 42%

General donations

£30.8m 48%

Emergency appeals

£8.7m 14%

Government grants

£22.7m 35%
£1.7m 3%

TOTAL INCOME £63.9m
14

‘What Tearfund has done on
behalf of the pupils and people
of the community, only God
could have done.’

EXPENDITURE 2010-2011

INCOME 2010-2011

Other income

With your support, we’ve been able to bring
Christ’s compassion to 250,000 Haitians since
the earthquake, helping the worst off get their
lives back on track.

Richard Hanson/Tearfund

It’s bright and eye-catching and perfectly
fits its billing among locals as the Pink School.
Its predecessor collapsed during the January
2010 earthquake, and with it so did the
educational progress of its pupils.
Tearfund’s school rebuilding project at Petit
Boucan has restored hope, as well as the
better earthquake-resistant walls and roof.
Toussant Edva, director of the school, said,
‘Thank you very much for coming, because
we’re so, so satisfied.
‘After the earthquake, we had lots of
difficulty restarting classes. There were lots
of kids on the streets with nowhere to go.
Without education we have nothing. What
Tearfund has done on behalf of the pupils and
people of the community, only God could
have done. We love our school. It wouldn’t
fall on us if it broke. We feel safe there.’
Tearfund is working in more than 140
schools across Haiti, providing better
accommodation and training teachers.
Also 6,000 youngsters attend our children’s
health clubs on a weekly basis.

Speaking out in advocacy

£2.6m 4%

Encouraging prayer
& discipleship

£2.8m 5%

Supporting livelihoods

£1.0m 2%

FUNDRAISING & GOVERNANCE £5.6m 9%

TOTAL EXPENDITURE £61.6m
autumn 2011 teartimes

Ashraf Mall/Tearfund

Pakistan flood
19 October 2010 is a date seared into
the memory of Rozi Khan from Pakistan.
The worst flooding in the country’s recent
history swept into his village of Mangal Khan
in Sindh and took away his possessions and
livelihood. Within hours of the flooding, 16
hectares of his rice crop were obliterated:
‘When I remember those moments, I still find
tears in my eyes,’ says Rozi, 38.
Losing this food was bad enough, but its
disappearance also left him with a sense of
hopelessness. Previous natural disasters had
made him impoverished, forcing him to resort
to moneylenders to pay for crop seeds.
He confesses to being heartbroken as the
flooding wiped out his ability to repay his
loans on the back of crop sales. Tearfund
was the only organisation to come to Rozi’s
village offering help and hope to get out of
the black hole of poverty.
Seeing the need to get him growing
as soon as the floods subsided, Tearfund
organised for a tractor to cultivate part
of his land. He was also given high-quality
sunflower seeds and a seed drill to plant
them. After a few months, the oil-rich crop
was ready for harvesting.
‘I thank God for sending this team to help
me,’ says Rozi, who plans to use crop

3
MILLION
+

5,500
+
teartimes autumn 2011

NEW
BENEFICIARIES
SUPPORTED

LOCAL
CHURCHES
MOBILISED

Floods devastated Pakistan in the summer of 2010.

‘I thank God for sending
Tearfund’s team to help me.’
surpluses to pay off his loans over the next
three years.
Rozi is one of 7,000 Pakistanis helped by
Tearfund to restart their livelihoods after the
floods. Long-term help continues. We’re now
rebuilding homes and providing water and
sanitation to the most vulnerable facing
material and spiritual poverty.

56%

PARTNER PROJECTS
NOW USE CHURCH
AND COMMUNITY
MOBILISATION

These financial results are extracted from the audited
financial statements of Tearfund for the year ended
31 March 2011. For a copy of the audited Annual
Report and Accounts, please call 0845 355 8355
or visit www.tearfund.org
15

worldview

Tearfund photographer Richard Hanson says: ‘During last year’s
floods, Aasi Pareri [second from right] – from Sindh Province,
Pakistan – lost her brother and sister to illness. She was left
struggling to look after ten nieces and nephews with money
from relatives, and through her quilt-making. Tearfund are
building her a new home, and gave her four baby goats to
provide a more sustainable livelihood.’
Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund

16

autumn 2011 teartimes

teartimes autumn 2011

17

church mobilisation

UMOJA:
BRINGING
CHURCHES

ALIVE

From Bangladesh to Burkina Faso, Haiti to Zimbabwe, it’s causing ripples of
excitement around the world. More than 2,000 communities in around 30
countries are already using it, and it has been translated into a dozen languages
including French, Portuguese, Spanish, Amharic, Kirundi, Mandarin and Arabic.
But what is ‘Umoja’?
Words: Peter Shaw

it’s the state of being one or undivided. Much
the same sense is expressed in the prayer of
Jesus for the church in John’s Gospel: ‘I pray
also for those who will believe in me through
their message, that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you’
he Umoja process is church and
(John 17:20-21).
community mobilisation* written down
And the Umoja process brings about this
and available as a resource. It’s not a new
unity. It helps local churches in poor areas
idea – in fact Umoja is based on more than
come together to study the Bible and discover,
20 years of experience of Tearfund working
through our partners and local churches. And often for the first time, God’s calling on them
to serve their community. The process then
through those two decades, we have seen
encourages the church to meet with their
remarkable transformation.
Umoja is available in a booklet that gathers community to listen and share stories, and
through that, identify and understand the
all this collective knowledge and practice
together, and gives easy-to-follow instruction causes of the poverty they face.
Church and community continue to work
and inspiration on how to run a church and
together to pool resources, agree priorities, and
community mobilisation programme.
take action. Ultimately, the Umoja process
gives communities confidence to work with
Being one
others beyond their communities, such as
The word ‘Umoja’ is from the Swahili, and is
governments or NGOs, to address further –
often translated as ‘togetherness’ or ‘unity’.
often underlying – issues that keep them poor.
But it’s not simply about ‘joining together’,

The whole of Shivnagar come together to work the land thanks to the local church helping to arrange a
community cooperative.

‘Umoja process gives communities
confidence to work with others
beyond their communities.’
Movement of God
At Tearfund, we’re convinced that something
amazing is happening through Umoja. Tulo
Raistrick, one of Tearfund’s Church and
Development Advisers, who has spearheaded
the Umoja project says, ‘We have a real sense
that God is doing far more than we had ever
expected with Umoja.
‘By his grace we have found something that
God is already doing within his church around
the world and, amazingly, Tearfund has been
given the privilege to participate in and
encourage it.’
Here’s just a few examples about how church
and community mobilisation has transformed
communities, and how Umoja is encouraging
more churches to do the same...

Kenya: church growth
‘I attended a major church and community
mobilisation workshop in Kenya. We
shared about Umoja with 60 leaders from
Anglican churches from seven countries,
and senior leaders of six integral mission
organisations.
‘We also visited community projects
using Umoja-like processes. One Kenyan
church of just 15 people mobilised a
community of 6,000 people ravaged by
alcoholism and insecurity.
‘Praise God, there was an 80 per cent
reduction in alcoholism, the church and
community built a 23km water and
irrigation supply scheme, and set up a
dairy cooperative with 1,000 farmers. Now
the church has grown to 80 members!’
Richard Lister, Tearfund’s head of East
and Central Africa region

* See page 8 for an example of church and community mobilisation
teartimes autumn 2011

‘In March this year, I visited a church
in Uganda. Around 40 people from the
community came along to welcome me.
After a few minutes of the men talking,
I turned to the women present, and asked
if church mobilisation had made any
difference for them.
‘One after another, women stood up and
told amazing stories. One said, “I was a
drunkard, wearing rags. Now look at me.”
She was wearing the most fantastic,
colourful dress.
‘She continued, “Because of the church,
I learnt to take responsibility for my life.
I started saving and stopped drinking.
I started up a sewing business. Now I have
income to send my children to school.”’

‘After attending a church and community
mobilisation workshop, I went back to my
church in Tchirozerine and we went through
the Umoja process. Through regular training
workshops, we came up with the idea of
planting trees in our community.
‘We launched the project in April, funded
by church members. Through Umoja, our
church has realised the potential God has
given us. For me, the amazing thing has
been seeing such enthusiasm and
motivation shown by our local church
members.
‘The training is not finished yet, we are still
only at the beginning of our process. I’d like
to thank Tearfund for inspiring our church to
bear fruit today.’

LET YOUR GIFTS TELL A STORY
Behind each of these beautiful gifts is an artisan, living in
a poor community, being paid a fair wage for their skill. You
might not see their face, but by purchasing their work you
are bringing life where it's most needed. Find these and
many more beautiful gifts online at www.createdgifts.org
or call 0845 355 8355 to request a catalogue.

www.createdgifts.org

*Created was formerly called Tearcraft

integral mission

Living out the
whole gospel
John 9 tells a story of a man who had been blind since birth. His community
considered this a curse, leaving him an outcast with no way of making a living.
The man spent his days begging on the streets, yet one day a visitor came to
town, and everything changed.
Words: Amy Church Photo: Warren Allott/Tearfund

T

he visitor said it was no one’s fault
that the man was blind. This was no
curse. Then the visitor healed him.
He was transformed – physically, as he could
now see; emotionally, as he became filled
with hope and confidence; and spiritually,
as he came to know the transformational
love God had for him.
All this happened because of the visitor –
Jesus. That day, the man and his community
learnt something of what it is to be truly
human – to love, and be loved. And a little bit
of God’s kingdom was built in the man’s town.

can’t help but spill out to the people,
communities, institutions, situations and all
of creation which surrounds us.

Tearfund and integral mission
Inspired by Jesus, Tearfund’s work focuses on
the ‘whole’ person – working through
churches to tackle both material and spiritual
poverty. At the heart of our work with poor
communities is a recognition that people are
more than their hunger or despair. They’re
complex and precious, made in God’s image.
And they’re loved.
We work alongside local churches and
church-based partners because they know the
‘Integral mission is answering
needs of their communities, and have the
God’s call to love one another in
potential to transform lives completely. In our
every aspect of our lives.’
experience, this is the most effective way to
help people make lasting changes in their lives
and escape poverty. It’s crucial to us, because
When Jesus connected with people, he
it’s the kind of ‘development work’ the Bible
changed their lives completely. And he’s still
doing it today through his Spirit and through describes. It's unconditional love.
Integral mission isn’t new, but it is a
us his church. Integral mission isn’t a ‘new
concept’. It’s following Jesus, answering God’s bit different to some traditional takes on
mission. Integral mission is inclusive,
call to love one another completely in every
aspect of our lives. It’s us, the church, joining positioning all of us – young and old, rich
God’s mission to build his kingdom on earth – and poor – as part of God’s mission. We don’t
all have to be preachers in the traditional
a natural out-flowing of who we are as
sense. But because we’re all made in God’s
children of God. As it says in 1 John 4:19,
‘We love because he first loved us.’ And when image, each of us can reflect his love to the
world around us.
we’re filled with the love of God, that love
22

autumn 2011 teartimes

Praise and worship in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, despite the devastating earthquake of January 2010.

Called to integral mission
Neither do we all have to become overseas
‘missionaries’, because integral mission is as
relevant to us here in the UK as it is to
Tearfund’s partners around the world. ‘Every
church is called to share in God’s mission...
beginning in its own “Jerusalem”,’ says
theologian Rene Padilla, referencing Acts 1:8.
Integral mission simply calls us to be who
we are in Christ. You don’t have to be familiar
teartimes autumn 2011

with the term ‘integral mission’ to do it; you
just have to be familiar with God... and to
follow his command to love him, and others,
with everything you have.

‘Because we’re all made
in God’s image, each of us
can reflect his love to
the world.’
23

Healed at Christmas
T
In Shivnagar village, Nepal, it is
commonplace to come across
stories of miraculous healing.
But each example is individual,
unique and precious.
Words: Peter Shaw
Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund
Pastor Madan leads a team of carol
singers from his church to bless
the people of Shivnagar, Nepal.
24

wo Christmases ago, a fever gripped her
so strong that Uma was unable
to get out of her bed. It was night-time,
and her 12-year-old daughter Puspa was
desperate. As she tended to Uma, young
Puspa heard carol singers nearby their house.
For you and me, carol singers herald the
promise of a hearty festive chorus and maybe
a mince pie. But, for Puspa, the singers were
the answer to her unspoken prayer – she
knew that they were from the local church.
And, through Jesus, they had the power to
heal – and Uma was healed.
autumn 2011 teartimes

Tearfund’s Christmas resources
You can experience the amazing story of Uma
and Puspa through this year’s Christmas
resources from Tearfund. It’s a heart-warming
festive story that explains how the local church
can be the answer to poverty – empowering
communities to overcome their own problems.
Uma and Puspa’s story is told through a film
and a unique nativity play – both crafted to
fit into your church’s Christmas celebrations.
• The three-minute film is about the life of
Uma and Puspa in Nepal, and shows how the
local church is assisting their community to
meet their needs. It also shows Christmas
celebrations in Shivnagar, Nepal, where more
than 900 people – many tell us they have
come to faith in the last few years – gather
for a huge celebration meal.
• The nativity play offers a twist on the
biblical account of Jesus’ birth,
demonstrating how that miraculous event
2,000 years ago is still transforming lives
today – like Uma and Puspa’s in Nepal. The
script and performance guide provides all
you need to stage this ten-minute play for
children to perform.

‘You can experience the amazing
story of Uma and Puspa through
this year’s Christmas resources
from Tearfund.’

Request a Tearfund speaker
If you would like a Tearfund speaker to
talk at your church about our work this
Christmas, contact our Churches team
on 0845 521 0021 for England and Wales,
028 9068 2828 for Northern Ireland or
0141 332 3621 for Scotland.
The resources also include a children’s craft
activity, ideas for festive fundraising, editable
service sheet cover, prayer guide including a
liturgical prayer, and a PowerPoint presentation.
Order now and have a merrier Christmas
Your church is likely already to be planning a
Christmas programme. If you order the pack
today, you will have a wealth of professional,
easy-to-use materials at your disposal when
it arrives.
The resources also offer an opportunity to
help transform a community. By giving £20 a
month to support the church with professional
training and advice, you – and others from your
church – can get closer to people like Uma and
Puspa in Nepal. Through regular updates and
prayer points you’ll see how your support is
changing lives.
The Christmas resources are packed with
creative and engaging materials to enhance
your Christmas services, simply and
effectively. For more details see the card
between these pages.

Puspa decorating the tree for the Christmas service at Tikapur church.
teartimes autumn 2011

25

TT131_CAMPAIGNS_2_Layout 1 22/08/2011 18:00 Page 2

climate change

Your chance

to change the climate
Millet to market gardens. Dust and drought to vegetables aplenty. Tearfund’s work
in local communities in Mali is helping to bring hope amid climate change.
Words: Helen Heather

Clive Mear/Tearfund

M

other-of-four, Sanelou has witnessed
dramatic changes in her village.
The shifting and increasingly erratic
climate means the rains don’t come when they
should. Longer droughts are eroding the soil –
leaving the earth damaged and dusty. Many
farmers are abandoning the area to find jobs
elsewhere, putting a strain on community life.
Tearfund’s partners are helping communities
in Mali respond to these challenges. Sanelou’s
community are proud of their market gardens
with raised walls to protect the soil being
damaged by floods or drought.

But, millions more people across the world are
going hungry and struggling to respond.
Without urgent action the changing climate
will also undermine the efforts of Tearfund’s
partners to lift people out of poverty.
There’s a huge disparity between what is and
what should be happening to protect poor
countries like Mali from further devastation.
The latest figures show that global emissions
continue to rise and efforts to curb emissions
are in disarray.

‘Without urgent action the changing
climate will undermine the efforts of
Tearfund’s partners to lift people out
of poverty.’
Greenest government?
The UK recently became the only country in
the world with an emissions reduction target
beyond 2020. There’s cause to celebrate but it’s
not time to be complacent when global action
is so elusive. We need the UK government to
live up to its ‘greenest government ever’ pledge
by pushing for action internationally as well as
at home.
With the next round of international
climate talks in South Africa – a continent hit
hard by the changing climate – we have a key
opportunity to remind leaders why urgent
and far-reaching action is vital.
The upcoming talks in Durban should be
a chance to set global action back on track.
Leaders must agree to deliver what they’ve
promised, including agreeing ways to generate
the $100 billion pledged for 2020 to help poor
autumn 2011 teartimes

Cally Spittle/Tearfund

Tearfund supporters David and Karen Burnett-Hall discussing climate change with MP Elizabeth Truss during
Tea Time For Change.

countries respond. Although this figure is
about half what is needed, it’s a start.
Developed countries must also commit to
tougher action to reduce emissions. Current
pledges mean temperature rises of up to four
degrees – catastrophic for poor communities,
and for the whole planet.
Climate change may seem like a distant
threat but it’s happening now and pushing

Bearing Witness

OCT

SAT

1

On Saturday 1 October Tearfund
is joining with CAFOD and
Christian Aid for a service and
candlelit vigil in Manchester. On the eve
of the Conservative Party Conference, poor
communities need us to stand up for people
hit hardest by climate change by reminding
the government about its ‘greenest
government ever’ pledge and urging them
to do more.
1.30pm Tearfund Climate Justice afternoon
at Friends Meeting House, Manchester
6 Mount Street, M2 5NS: Learn, act and
pray about climate change, and other
issues of injustice – with tea and cake!
5pm Manchester Cathedral: Joint
ecumenical service followed by a procession
and candlelit vigil outside the Conservative
Party conference venue.
7.30pm Finish
Find out more at
www.tearfund.org/bearingwitness

teartimes autumn 2011

our global neighbours further into poverty.
The world cannot afford for our leaders
to stand back and fail to respond with
rising emissions and no clear action plan
to reduce them.
A global movement of Christians will be
getting down on its knees this autumn,
praying and speaking up for the UK and other
governments to act. Will you join us?

Hope for Creation
A global day of prayer and
action on climate change.
Sunday 6 November.

NOV

SUN

6

Join with tens of thousands of Christians
around the world to pray and speak up for
justice for our global neighbours and for
action to protect God’s creation.
Take part at home, with a group of friends
or with your whole church. Your prayers will
play a vital role as we speak with one voice
for action on climate change.
Visit www.hopeforcreation.org to sign up
and to download resources to help you and
your church join in.
Please email campaigning@tearfund.org
or call 0845 355 8355 for more information
about either of these events.

‘Climate change may seem like a
distant threat but it’s happening
now and pushing our global
neighbours further into poverty.’
27

Q&A with Tamsin Greig

Renewing
communities
in Rwanda
Tamsin Greig is a successful actor and a friend of Tearfund.
She is well known for her roles in TV comedy series
including Episodes, Friday Night Dinner, People Like Us
and Black Books. Tamsin has starred as Debbie Aldridge
in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers since 1991,
performed in the National Theatre production of
Gethsemane in 2008, and took part in the Easter
celebrations on Songs of Praise in 2011. In April this year,
she visited Tearfund local church projects and partners
in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What struck you most about Tearfund's
work in Rwanda?
The most striking element for me was the way
in which Tearfund works with partners in the
country. I have an image in my mind of
charities imposing western finances and
28

solutions in response to disasters. I was
particularly struck by the relationships that
Tearfund fosters with organisations already
established within each country. We met with
Michel Kayitaba, director of MOUCECORE
(Christian Movement for Evangelization,
Counseling and Reconciliation) – Tearfund’s
partner in Kigali. MOUCECORE outreaches
to Rwandan communities through local
churches to encourage personal and
community transformation. Tearfund’s support
is a partnership, but taking the lead from the
in-country group who are in a good position to
assess the individual needs of each community.
I was deeply impressed with Tearfund’s
emphasis on partnership and relationship, as
opposed to the imposition of an ‘aid formula’.
What are your impressions of the
people you met?
The Rwandan people I met were all elegantly
welcoming and genuinely pleased to greet
visitors into their communities. They offer
ready smiles and honest gratitude for outside
interest in their stories. They’re proud to be
autumn 2011 teartimes

Geoff Crawford/Tearfund

Why did you decide
to travel to Rwanda
with Tearfund?
I was asked! Last year
Tearfund invited me to
become a Friend of
Tearfund. I was aware
of Tearfund and its
work in this country
and globally, seeking to
nurture partnerships
with organisations
already working within communities to support
them financially, practically and spiritually. So it
was very exciting to be asked to actually visit
some of the partners and projects that
Tearfund supports, to get a real sense of the
difference these partnerships make.

Tamsin Greig visiting a community in
Rwanda supported by Tearfund partner
MOUCECORE.

‘I was deeply impressed with
Tearfund’s emphasis on
partnership and relationship.’

‘I saw it is possible to
transform disaster and
brutality into new hope.’
Rwandan and glad to be alive through a new
era of understanding and willingness for
reconciliation. And they all seem to be
engaging with the profoundly difficult yet
necessary process of forgiveness, a process
which has brought them thus far in their
transformation into a new people beyond
tribal division and ancient hatred.
How has this changed their faith?
I’d like to turn this question on its head and
say that it is their faith that has changed them.
The communities who work with and continue
to be supported by MOUCECORE agreed to
begin a journey of reconciliation, firstly with
themselves and with God, and then with their
families and communities. Without this
profound inner change inspired by their faith,
the reconciliations would be impossible.
And it would seem that their identities are
now rooted in their faith-based understanding
of who they are as children of God, rather than
in their knowledge of their tribal heritage.
teartimes autumn 2011

What did you think about church
and community mobilisation after
meeting the people in
the villages?
I feel privileged to spend time
with people from Rwanda. I realise
much has been accomplished
governmentally in the country since
the brutalities of the late 1990s, but
inevitably this trickle down from the
summit of control is slow. To witness
an interior change occurring at grass
roots level among the very people
who define Rwanda, who are choosing
to engage with their own personal
spiritual transformation and be a part of the
renewal of their communities, has been aweinspiring. Local people have shown they can
identify their abilities and needs, work
cooperatively within seemingly untenable
social tensions, and make something new
happen. Out of crisis and hopelessness, in
partnership with a worldwide network of
support, new life has come.
How have your perceptions of
poverty changed?
Visiting two villages in Rwanda supported by
MOUCECORE, and hearing their stories of
tragedy and transformation, brought me great
hope for the future of African communities
seeking ways out of poverty. I saw it is possible
to transform disaster and brutality into new
hope from within the communities themselves,
if people are able to lay aside their fears,
suspicions and resentments and be transformed
to experience new growth personally and
corporately. Of course, societal problems of
conflict still exist, and yet their readiness to
commit to corporate change and cooperation
does bring brightness to the struggle.
29

‘Thank you, Mrs Harris.’
This is Soomar and his beloved granddaughter
Mejahr. He would like to say thank you.
Because Mrs Harris left Tearfund a legacy,
Soomar’s granddaughter will survive, despite
contracting tuberculosis. The legacy helped
pay for a clinic and TB medicine. ‘We have
no money. We walked seven kilometres to
get here. People told us about the clinic and
we came,’ he says.
For a Christian, being welcomed home at

the end of your life represents fulfilment.
The history we leave behind, the seeds we
have sown, will continue to bear fruit.
These God-inspired good works and habits
of generosity can continue to restore hope
and save lives – even after God has called
you home.
Soomar is the family elder, so he takes
care of them all. And now he has hope
for Mejahr’s future, thanks to Mrs Harris.

Please consider leaving a legacy in support of those
we work with. Order our leaflet to find out more.
Call 0845 355 8355 or email legacies@tearfund.org

Christian Legacy
Please remember a Christian charity in your will

Order the FREE pack for church
leaders on supporting church and charity legacies:
www.christianlegacy.org.uk/leaders

Clive Mear/Tearfund

reﬂection

How do
you change
a human heart?
The tragedy for many poor communities
isn’t a lack of resources, but access to those
resources. Although help is at hand, it’s
often still out of reach.
Words: Matthew Frost, Chief Executive

T

ake HIV, for example. Despite much
greater access to antiretroviral therapy
(a way of managing HIV), a major
treatment gap still remains. At the end of 2010,
nine million people who were eligible for HIV
treatment did not receive it.
The same is true for water and sanitation,
provision of healthcare, education and skills
training. The major problem lies in the ‘last mile
of delivery’ – the gap between the resources
that are available and the people who
desperately need them. And while that gap
may seem small, in effect it might as well be
a gaping chasm.
So, the question is, how does an individual
living in a poor community change so that the
resources aren’t just nearby, rather they can
grasp them in their hands? And how can we
help them to go that extra mile? From what I’ve
seen in the working of Tearfund’s partners, it
requires a behaviour change, a community
working together – a movement from passive
to active.
Change of heart
As Christians we know the most effective
change that can happen is in the heart. And
only Jesus can change hearts. Often people
blighted by poverty and injustice lack hope,
purpose, self-worth and meaning in their lives,
and that renders them passive. Only a change
of heart can restore these things.
Of course, it’s easy to say ‘the answer is
Jesus’ – but there needs to be something to
teartimes autumn 2011

‘The most effective change
that can happen is in the heart.
And only Jesus can change hearts.’
put that answer into action. And, as you read
through this Tear Times, you’ll see that answer
in Umoja, in Integral Mission, and in the life
of Richard in Uganda.
Mobilising churches – the incarnation of Jesus
in communities – empowers them to look
beyond their circumstances to the resources
they already possess. To see the problems they
face so clearly that the solutions are evident
too. Church mobilisation enables Jesus to fill
that gap, to release the resources in their hands
and go that extra mile.

‘ Many of my
friends are
already dead’
Despair spiralled into alcohol abuse, and Richard’s
family feared he was on a road to an early grave.
But now, thanks to the church, he is starting to live
life to the full through Jesus.
£20 a month could pay for the church to
continue to support Richard and offer vocational
training to more families, equipping them with
long-term solutions to earn a living and feed
their children.
Read the full story, and find out how you
can help transform lives, on page 8.